Effect of Pollutants on the Physical and Engineering Behavior of Lime-Treated Marine Clay

Rapid industrial growth and increasing population has resulted in the discharge of wastes into the ocean, wastes which ultimately reach the seabed and contaminate the marine sediments. The soil-contaminants interaction, and their associated physico chemical properties with sediments control the behavior of marine clays. Marine clay deposits of low strength and high compressibility are located in many coastal and offshore areas. There are several foundation problems encountered in these weak marine clays. In this study, experimental work was carried out in the laboratory to stabilize soft marine clays using the lime column technique. Also the lime-induced effects on the physical and engineering behavior of marine clays in sulfate-contaminated marine environment was investigated. Consolidation tests indicate that compressibility of the lime-treated samples was reduced to 1/2-1/3 of the virgin soil after 45 days treatment. The test results also suggest that the lime column technique can be conveniently used to improve the behavior of contaminated marine clay deposits.     

Transient fluid motion due to the forced horizontal oscillations of a vertical cylinder

The problem of the forced horizontal oscillations of a vertical cylinder extending throughout the fluid depth is considered on the basis of the linearised theory of water waves. A new integral form is given for the frequency-domain solution and the procedure is then used to obtain an explicit time-domain solution.     

In situ velocity profiles in gassy sediments: Kiel Bay

Acoustic behavior of gas-bearing sediments is significantly different from that of gas-free sediments. In situ velocity profiles and acoustic signal characteristics in gas-bearing sediments of the upper several meters of the sea floor in Kiel Bay are presented in this study. Observed velocities in gas-bearing sediments are both higher and lower than those of the gas-free sediments. Small amounts of gas appear to cause signal reverberation without much attenuation. whereas large amounts of gas cause substantial attenuation.     

Zinc concentration effect at the organismal,cellular and subcellular levels in the eastern oyster

The purpose of this research was to demonstrate a concentration effect of zinc exposure at organismal, cellular and sub-cellular levels in the eastern oyster and to find associated protein expression signatures (PES) for each concentration of zinc. Oysters were exposed to six concentrations of zinc for 48 h in a controlled environment. At the organismal level, fecal material was observed as a measure of physiological health during metal exposures. At the cellular level, lysosomal destabilization was measured using hemolymph. This cellular response was significant only at the highest concentration, when the fecal index was lowest. Protein responses were monitored in the oyster following exposure to zinc. Gill tissue was excised and homogenized, and then analyzed using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) and digital image analysis. Protein expression signatures were found to be specific to each concentration. The protein responses were linked to the other biological parameters measured, each of which followed a concentration gradient of zinc.     

Numerical experiments on the four-dimensional assimilation of the observation data derived in the Black Sea in June 1984 on the basis of a numerical energy-balanced model

A procedure for the four-dimensional (4D) analysis of the hydrophysical fields in the Black Sea with an assimilation of the temperature and salinity (T, S) data was realized on the basis of a numerical model which involves the primitive equations of motion, and the heat and salt advection equations. Two experiments were carried out which differed by the observation data assimilation procedure. Analysis has shown that the observation data assimilation procedure realized using the energy-balanced model allows the reproduction of some synoptic features of the circulation in the Black Sea. A comparison of two computations demonstrates the efficiency of assimilating the measurement data on the basis of the 4D analysis as compared with the sequential objective analysis.Translated by Mikhail M. Trufanov.     

The effect of copper pollution on mitochondrial degeneration

The authors describe the effect of copper pollution on the mitochondria from various areas of the Torpedo marmorata central nervous system. A high percentage of swollen mitochondria has been observed in neurons from animals experimentally exposed to high level of copper (4 ppm). The correlation with age pigment granules is discussed.     

Serum biochemical and cellular responses to experimental cupric ion challenge in mussels

Our intent has been to develop rapid and sensitive bioassay procedures for laboratory and field applications based on hemolymph factors in animals such as the bay mussel, Mytilus edulis. We found that mussel hemolymph could be easily and repeatedly sampled from individual animals in sufficient amounts to allow analyses for lysozyme, proteolytic activity, total protein and hemocyte counts. In static tests there seemed to be graded responses indicating release of increasing amounts of the above factors into the hemolymph in roughly direct proportion to Cu²⁺ concentration at lethal and sublethal levels. We interpreted this to be evidence for increased lysosomal and cellular disruption as cupric ion exposure was increased or prolonged. At the same time, Cu²⁺ concentrations in the mussel hemolymph increased up to an order of magnitude above ambient in the range of 26 to 267 ppb. We felt that this was evidence for the release of Cu-binding proteins into the mussel hemolymph. Simultaneously with the above events the serum granulocytes increased in numbers above control values by factors of 3 or 4 in response to copper challenge while macrophage (terminology of Moore & Lowe, 1977) counts, including controls, declined precipitously.